This document discusses performance in acting and provides guidance for directing actors. It defines performance as the meanings conveyed through physical performance using facial expressions, gaze, gestures, posture, body contact, appearance, and spatial behavior. It then provides an example script and asks the reader to discuss directions they would give actors for different characters. It also analyzes Marlon Brando's performance as Don Corleone in The Godfather, considering facial expressions, gaze, gestures, posture, body contact, appearance, and spatial behavior. Finally, it notes that actors should be able to blend into their characters using various acting techniques.

1. Performance

2. Performance
This refers to the meanings conveyed by actors
through their physical performance. Meaning
can be conveyed through the following means:
Facial expression
Gaze
Gesture
Posture
Body Contact
Appearance
Spatial behaviour

3. Task
As a director you are given a script of a new gangster film set in the 1940s/1950s in New York. The film opens with a scene
of an elderly man requesting the help and support of the head of the gang. A member of the elderly man’s family has
been attacked and the local police have failed to gain a satisfactory conviction. The man would like the gang carry out
justice instead. The head of the gang is not happy the elderly man did not come to him first.
Discuss in pairs, and write notes, on what directions would you give the actors for each of these parts to guide their
performance and understanding of the characters.

4. In Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972), Marlon Brando
plays Don Corleone. In this scene how does Brando convey
different aspects of the Don’s personality? How does Vito Scotti’s
performance contrast with Brando’s? What do we learn about
their relationship?
Consider:
• Facial expression
• Gaze
• Gesture
• Posture
• Body Contact
• Appearance
• Spatial behaviour

5. A good actor should be able to blend into his/her character. Various techniques
and schools of thought are studied to achieve this effect: method acting, the
Meisner technique, Stanislavski’s system, etc. As students of film (rather than
students of drama), we only need to focus on the output – in other words, how
that performance comes across to the viewer.

6. Micro-features - Quiz
This quiz contains all the
terminology that has been
mentioned over the last few
lessons!
Do ‘Learn’ first, then ‘match’
and ‘asteroids’.
quizlet.com/_3lnb2v